An Examination of Self-Harm Behavior in Adolescents from a Reality Therapy Perspective: A Review Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20012864Keywords:
self-harm, reality therapy, adolescence, reviewAbstract
Self-harm is viewed as a dysfunctional coping mechanism that adolescents turn to when experiencing emotional pain, helplessness, and a sense of losing control over their lives. The developmental stage in which self-harm behavior is most commonly observed is adolescence. Among adolescents who engage in self-harm frequently, this behavior tends to escalate and is considered a risk factor for suicide. In this context, self-harm is a serious and widespread issue that must be addressed during adolescence. Therefore, adolescence is a critical period for understanding, preventing, and developing intervention approaches for self-harm behavior. The aim of this study is to provide a theoretical framework that addresses all aspects of self-harm behavior—including the underlying needs, choices, and processes of taking responsibility—by examining self-harm during adolescence from the perspective of reality therapy. The reality therapy perspective offers an important framework for understanding self-harm behavior as an approach that enables the restructuring of ways to meet an individual’s psychological needs by recognizing them. Self-harm is an indicator of unmet psychological needs and a dysfunctional choice made to address those needs. In this context, the study discusses self-harm through the individual’s perception of control over their life, need imbalance, and dysfunctional means of meeting needs; recommendations based on the WDEP model are included.
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